Morgantown: Ridge Trail Loop
Morgantown: Ridge Trail Loop
This mellow 4-mile hike tours the rolling hills and lush, wildlife-filled wetlands that make up scenic Canaan Valley State Park.
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Trail Facts
- Distance: 5.3
Waypoints
RTL001
Location: 39.0255393981934, -79.4669494628906
Head W on Middle Ridge Trail into the fringes of the Monongahela National Forest; the path skirts the treeline into a field bordered by high grasses
RTL002
Location: 39.0250282287598, -79.470100402832
R @ Y, bearing N up slope with lovely sights to Balsam Swamp
RTL003
Location: 39.034969329834, -79.4744262695312
L @ wetland edge, crossing footbridge over beaver stream (note large lodge)
RTL004
Location: 39.0334281921387, -79.4760513305664
Take R and cross Club Run for side trip to the isolated wetlands of Skidder Run; the long, green, 4,000-ft.-high backbone of Canaan Mtn. rises to W
RTL005
Location: 39.0372009277344, -79.4767532348633
Cross Enoch Run and take R onto Allegheny Trail N; slow down and look for small cranberries in nearby bog
RTL006
Location: 39.0422592163086, -79.4773635864258
Stop near diverse marshlands to spot or hear wildlife (bonus points for black bears). Then return to WPT 4 and go S on Middle Ridge Trail
RTL007
Location: 39.0300216674805, -79.4733428955078
Pass through dense glen of second-growth spruce on carpet of sphagnum moss
RTL008
Location: 39.0254135131836, -79.4740371704102
Crest lone knoll after slight incline and begin steep SE descent
RTL009
Location: 39.0235900878906, -79.4726867675781
L to follow Middle Ridge Trail; path becomes faint, follow blazes back to car
